The theft of catalytic converters is a growing problem in the Valley.

Back in February, Staunton Hyundai had 17 stolen at one time. In April, ten were taken from the Harrisonburg Auto Mall. There have been a total of 13 cases in Harrisonburg since April, with two of the most recent cases occurring at the Valley Mall in Harrisonburg.

A family member of one of the latest victims of catalytic converter theft is speaking out. He says a catalytic converter was stolen from his wife's car while it was parked at the Valley Mall.

While police are following leads, the couple is having to pay around $400 in repairs.

Lane Lucas's wife works at the mall, and she told her husband, in spite of taking every precaution she thought to, her catalytic converter was stolen while her vehicle was in the parking lot in broad daylight.

"She started her vehicle up and she could tell there was something wrong with it, and first she called me to tell me that something was wrong, and then she got a ride home with another employee," recalls Lucas. "We came back up, and I checked it out, and we drove it to my work, and I checked it out [Thursday] morning and found that it was missing, and then I called the Harrisonburg Police Department."

His wife says Valley Mall security isn't doing enough to protect the cars. The couple owns a Ford Escape which makes it a target for thieves because it's easy to get under.

Thieves might have also gone after it because of where it was parked. HPD Cpl. Ben Alvis says, "From what we've seen, it's just primarily been larger parking lots. At the Harrisonburg Hyundai, all of the cars were in a larger lot. I believe a couple of other larger lots have been hit."

Police say the thieves haven't taken anything else from these cars, just the converters.

"The platinum inside those things is relatively valuable. It's one of the most expensive parts of the vehicle to replace, so when they usually take them off, I'm assuming their probably selling them off," continues Alvis.

As police hope to catch these car thieves before they strike again, Lane Lucas hopes metal recyclers will do their part as well.

"I hope the recyclers pitch in and keep an eye out for good catalytic converter, and turn these people in," says Lucas.

News-3 tried to contact Valley Mall security to find out what they are doing to try to prevent more theft, but they weren't able to make a comment. Police say if you see anyone underneath a car, call them immediately.